Things to Consider with Your New Law Firm Website
If your law firm is considering a new website, there are some other important factors worth considering. In particular, driving traffic to the new website and of course, ensuring you have state-of-the-art website hosting that delivers your website to potential clients at lightning speed.
Get your new law firm website loads of traffic with our proven SEO strategy and tactics Google Ads
Work with our Google Certified Ads experts on driving file opens. CRM Technology
Use our tried and true CRM technologies to track, nuture and convert your clients Web Hosting
Don't underestimate the importance of website hosting. Our servers are hosted in ultra-safe and secure locations in the region of your law firm. Content Writing
Always where things fall over. We can create every piece of content that your firm needs. From practice area content through to bios to articles.
Some Latest Websites
Here are a few of our most recent law firm websites.
Why a New Law Firm Website Design?
Quite apart from the fact that these days people invariably search for legal help online, your law firm’s website we see as the quintessential hub of how your law firm is positioned in the marketplace. Without being too esoteric, a law firm’s website is often the only piece of marketing collateral that exists that strives to give breathe to who they are, why it matters, what they do, for whom they do it for, when they do it, how they do it, why they do it and for how much. Your law firm’s website stands as an ambassador beside all your competitors defining why you and not them.
Accordingly, at Fast Firms, we don’t take the development and design of your law firm’s website lightly. It’s a derivative of a fundamental understanding of your firm, how it’s currently positioned in the market, where it may need to be positioned to garner wider or narrower attention.
Law Firm Website Design
At Fast Firms, we’re old school. Every website begins its journey with pen and paper, later migrating to what we call wireframes, then PSDs. We’re iterating with your law firm, conjuring up better ways of telling your law firm’s story while being mindful of the key objective of guiding the potential client through your website and into your office.
Website Development
At Fast Firms, we primarily design for a WordPress platform because of its ubiquitous nature and its robust nature as a content management system. We also have considerable experience with Headless CMS technology and Laravel, designing and constructing our own bespoke software and if necessary, via this platform, data-driven websites.
Effective law firm websites are often augmented with a myriad of third-party software to achieve marketing outcomes. Whilst in the most part this is usually successful, increasingly we’re working with clients who are working with our preferred and adapted CRM technology, which is one singular marketing platform and dashboard that conducts 95% of all marketing triggers and automation sequences. Think Salesforce for Law Firms, but less convoluted and less expensive.
The Must Haves for Your Law Firm Website Design
When it comes to law firm website design, not all things are equal. Working with an agency that has a strong record of website design, technology and hosting is imperative.
Mobile-First Law Firm Website Design
You don’t need us to tell you, that when it comes to law firm website design, mobile compatibility is one of the most important considerations. Week after week at Fast Firms, we’re witnessing incremental mobile traffic increases to the point that in a number of practice areas, mobile outcompetes desktop.
Most importantly, great law firm website design isn’t just about ensuring that the desktop version of your website displays on mobile. It’s ensuring that the design is customized for mobile.
Accordingly, at Fast Firms, more times than not, we’re creating custom mobile websites for our law firm clients to optimize the experience for potential and existing clients. Our work has also been featured in the best legal website design awards.
Speed
In our experience, most law firms suffer in numerous aspects of marketing their practice because of poor website speed. Speed now is a significant ranking factor for major search engines like Google and Bing. Notwithstanding this, potential clients will not hang around while your website loads.
At Fast Firms, when it comes to speed, our law firm websites rank in the top 10% of all websites.
Content, Content & Content
The adage “content is king” still reigns supreme! Law firms that don’t create content are disadvantaged in every aspect of law firm marketing.
We know that content creation is difficult for law firms and for this reason, at Fast Firms we have a content writing team who are all trained journalists. We typically are writing blog articles, guides and completely writing practice area content from the ground up.
In fact, not only do we week after week write articles for our law firm clients, but we podcast and produce videos as well, if necessary.
Calls to Action
What you need to understand about 99% of website design agencies is that they build all their websites based on a template that they keep using. At Fast Firms, we don’t. Every design is designed pixel by pixel and coded. This allows us to be creative in all our calls to action, designing them for conversion. Over and above this, often our content writing and design team are writing downloadable guides ready for download and automated follow up.
Underpinning all calls to action, we deploy sophisticated automation and tracking software.
Conversion Tracking
Ask most website design agencies what suite of metrics they have in determining conversion tracking and they’ll look at you blankly. At Fast Firms, we use a diverse range of tracking software, including heatmaps, live recordings and numerous dashboards to assess effectiveness.
Online Appointments Section in Website Design for Lawyers
Being readily available to potential clients is a no-brainer. At Fast Firms, we have built our own software that allows potential clients to make an appointment immediately in your diary or a designated office diary.
Online payments
At Fast Firms, we have deployed numerous payment gateways for law firms, including Stripe, PayPal and Rapid Legal Pay.
Online Automations
Automation is more than just a buzzword, but rather brings together front of house and back of house for law firms. In other words, at Fast Firms, we can build out complex workflows that are initiated by a potential or existing client completing a form on your law firm’s website.
Chatbots
At Fast Firms, we have deployed numerous chatbot technology for our clients, both front of house and back of house.
Website Hosting
Your law firm’s choice of website hosting is a major factor when it comes to speed, SEO, security and accessibility when things go wrong.
At Fast Firms, we host all the websites of our clients using the very latest VPS technology. All websites are hosted in Australia for our Australian law firms and similarly in the US, the Asia Pacific or New Zealand, we host in those countries.
If your law firm is considering a new website, ensure that you work with an agency like Fast Firms that can offer your firm this important bundled option.
SSL Certificates
Security is of the utmost importance is giving confidence to potential or existing clients that your website is safe for them to use. Surprisingly there still remains many law firm website designs that are not SSL compliant.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
Having a great looking law firm website is an important objective, but so too is driving traffic to the website in order to assist your firm generate leads. SEO is the practice of getting your law firm’s website found for keywords that people are searching for.
At Fast Firms, we have a phenomenal record of SEO for our clients and continue to outcompete large national legal practices with in-house SEO teams.
CRM Technology
Great law firm websites are underpinned by a broader strategy of which lead generation, nurture and conversion are all very important parts.
At Fast Firms, we deploy numerous CRM technology platforms for our clients. We’ve worked with Hubspot, Sharpspring, Active Campaign and more recently, Microsoft Dynamics.
Landing Pages
Many of our law firms run Google and/or Facebook Ads. Consequently, we’re frequently building out targeted landing pages that respond to the relevant Ad and in doing so assist in better conversions with higher click-through-rates and quality scores.
Design Updates
Law firm website design is largely based on a series of assumptions that need to be tested. At Fast Firms, we acknowledge that assumptions can be wrong and particularly in the early stages of engagement between the website and users things become apparent that require design optimisation. At Fast Firms, we come to every new website design with the view that things will require optimising.
Effective Law Firm Website Design
In today’s digital age, having a well-designed website is crucial for any business, including law firms. A law firm website serves as the first point of contact for potential clients, making it essential to make a lasting impression. In this article, we will explore effective tips and examples for designing a law firm website that stands out, engages visitors, and leaves a lasting impact.
1. Make a Lasting Impression For Your law Firm Website Design
First impressions matter a great deal, especially in the digital world. A well-designed homepage can convey professionalism, credibility, and trustworthiness. By incorporating visually striking elements, such as vibrant images that resonate with your target audience, you can create an instant connection and pique their interest.
Consider the power of storytelling through visuals. Images can evoke emotions, tell a story, and create a memorable experience for your website visitors. Whether it’s a captivating photo of a courtroom scene or a warm and welcoming image of your legal team, choose visuals that align with your brand and leave a lasting impact.
2. Embrace Innovation, but Stay User-Friendly
It is crucial to ensure that your website is intuitive to navigate, providing a seamless user experience. Clear menus and logical page hierarchy are key elements in guiding your visitors to find what they are looking for quickly and easily. By organizing your content in a structured manner, you enable users to effortlessly explore your website and access the information they need.
staying user-friendly goes beyond navigation and visual effects. It also involves providing valuable and relevant content that addresses the needs and concerns of your target audience. Consider incorporating informative articles, blog posts, or videos that educate visitors about various legal topics. By offering valuable resources, you establish your law firm as a trusted authority in the field, building credibility and fostering trust with potential clients.
3. Simplify for Maximum Impact
When it comes to website design, simplicity is key. Avoid cluttering your web pages with excessive text or overwhelming graphics. Instead, strive for a clean and organized layout that allows visitors to focus on the most important information.
One way to achieve simplicity in website design is by breaking textual content into small paragraphs. This not only enhances readability but also makes it easier for visitors to digest the information. By presenting information in bite-sized chunks, you can effectively communicate your message without overwhelming your audience.
By simplifying your website design, you can create a user-friendly experience that allows visitors to easily navigate and understand your content. This not only enhances their overall experience but also positions your law firm as a trusted source of expertise. When visitors can easily find and comprehend the information they need, they are more likely to view your firm as reliable and knowledgeable in the legal field.
4. Guide Visitors to What Matters Most
When it comes to designing your law firm website, there are several key factors to consider in order to make it effective and engaging for visitors. One important aspect is to keep in mind the primary elements you want visitors to explore. By highlighting your areas of expertise, notable case successes, or testimonials prominently on your homepage or landing pages, you can effectively guide visitors toward what matters most.
Testimonials are another powerful tool to showcase your firm’s credibility and expertise. By featuring testimonials from satisfied clients on your homepage or landing pages, you can provide potential clients with social proof that your firm delivers exceptional results. These testimonials can highlight specific cases where your firm achieved favorable outcomes, further reinforcing your expertise and reliability.
However, simply highlighting these elements is not enough. You need to guide visitors towards them using strategic calls-to-action (CTAs). A well-designed CTA can make all the difference in encouraging visitors to take the desired action, whether it’s contacting your firm, scheduling a consultation, or exploring your areas of expertise in more detail.
Consider including prominent buttons or links that direct visitors to contact your firm or schedule a consultation. These CTAs should be strategically placed throughout your website, making it easy for visitors to take the next step. For example, you can have a “Contact Us” button in the header or footer of every page, ensuring that it is always visible and accessible.
Moreover, you can also incorporate CTAs within relevant content sections. For instance, after describing a successful case outcome, you can include a CTA that encourages visitors to learn more about similar cases or to contact your firm for assistance. By doing so, you are not only guiding visitors toward what matters most but also providing them with additional opportunities to engage with your firm.
5. Optimize Your Website for Mobile Experience
In today’s mobile-driven world, optimizing your law firm website for mobile devices is essential. A significant portion of website traffic comes from smartphones and tablets, so your site must be responsive and mobile-friendly.
When it comes to mobile optimization, there are several key factors to consider. Firstly, ensure that your website adjusts seamlessly to different screen sizes and resolutions. This means that no matter what device potential clients are using to access your site, they will have a consistent and user-friendly experience. A responsive design is crucial in ensuring that your content is easily readable and accessible on any screen.
Another important aspect of mobile optimization is page loading speed. Mobile users expect fast and efficient browsing experiences, and if your website takes too long to load, they may become frustrated and leave. To improve loading speed, you can compress images and videos, minimize the use of large files, and optimize your code. By streamlining any large or complex elements that may hinder the user experience, you can ensure that your website loads quickly and smoothly on mobile devices.
6. Speed Up Your Law Firm Website for Better User Experience
Page loading speed is a critical factor in user experience. Slow-loading webpages can lead to frustration and drive visitors away. To ensure a smooth browsing experience, optimize your law firm website’s loading speed.
One way to improve loading speed is by compressing images. Large image files can significantly slow down a web page’s loading time. By using image compression techniques, you can reduce the file size of your images without compromising their quality. This not only helps your website load faster but also saves bandwidth for your visitors.
In addition to compressing images, it is essential to minify your website’s code. Minifying code involves removing unnecessary spaces, line breaks, and comments from your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. This process reduces the file size of these files, allowing them to be loaded more quickly by the browser.
7. Streamline Navigation for Easy Browsing
Effective website navigation is essential for helping visitors find the information they need quickly. Streamline your navigation menu by categorizing your website’s pages into logical sections.
By organizing your pages into clear and intuitive categories, you can ensure that visitors can easily locate the content they are looking for. For example, if you have an e-commerce website, you might want to separate your products into different categories such as clothing, accessories, and electronics. This way, users can navigate directly to the section they are interested in, without having to sift through irrelevant pages.
8. Make Contact Info Easily Accessible and Offer Various Contact Methods
One of the primary goals of your law firm’s website is to generate leads and facilitate client contact. Therefore, it is crucial to make your contact information easily accessible.
Place your contact details prominently on your website’s header, footer, or sidebar. Additionally, consider including a dedicated contact page with a contact form for visitors to submit inquiries.
Provide various contact methods such as phone numbers, email addresses, and links to social media profiles. The more accessible and convenient it is for potential clients to reach out, the more likely they are to engage with your law firm.
9. Clearly Define Your Areas of Expertise
Clearly communicate the areas of law in which your firm specializes. Dedicate individual pages or sections of your website to highlight each practice area.
Provide comprehensive information about the services you offer, any industry-specific expertise, and relevant case examples. By clearly showcasing your law firm’s areas of expertise, you instill confidence in potential clients and reinforce your credibility.
10. Utilize Lawyer Bio Pages to Showcase Your Expertise
Lawyer bio pages are a powerful tool for showcasing your law firm’s expertise. Create well-crafted and detailed Lawyer profiles that highlight their educational background, professional achievements, and areas of specialization.
Include professional headshots and contact information for each Lawyer, making it easy for potential clients to connect with specific lawyers within your firm. These pages serve as a way to humanize your law firm and build trust with potential clients.
11. Maximize the Power of Call-to-Actions
Strategic use of call-to-actions (CTAs) can significantly impact the conversion rate on your law firm’s website. Place CTAs throughout your website, encouraging visitors to take specific actions such as scheduling a consultation or requesting more information.
Ensure that your CTAs are clear, visually appealing, and persuasive. Test different variations and placements to determine what works best for your audience.
By strategically leveraging the power of CTAs, you can guide visitors toward the actions that align with your law firm’s goals.
12. Prioritize Accessibility for All Users
Accessibility is key to ensuring that all visitors can navigate and use your law firm’s website effectively. Consider implementing accessibility features such as alt text for images, captions for videos, and transcripts for audio content.
Create a website design that is user-friendly for individuals with disabilities, ensuring that font sizes are legible and colors have sufficient contrast. By prioritizing accessibility, you demonstrate inclusivity and cater to a broader user base.
13. Enhance Your Website with Professional Photography
Visual appeal plays a crucial role in making a lasting impression. Investing in professional photography can elevate the aesthetic value of your law firm’s website and convey professionalism.
Use high-quality photos of your lawyers, office space, and other relevant visuals to create a visually captivating website. Professional photography enhances credibility and allows potential clients to put a face to the name.
14. Harness the Impact of Engaging Videos
Videos are a powerful tool for engaging visitors and conveying information effectively. Consider creating compelling videos that showcase your law firm’s expertise, provide legal insights, or feature client testimonials.
Embed videos throughout your website to make your content more interactive and engaging. Videos can help build a personal connection with potential clients, inspiring trust and leaving a lasting impression.
15. Prioritize Readability for a Seamless User Experience
Readability is key when crafting content for your law firm website. Use clear and concise language, avoiding unnecessary jargon that may confuse visitors.
Break the content into paragraphs and use subheadings and bullet points to enhance readability. Additionally, consider utilizing white space effectively to create a more visually appealing and scannable webpage.
Prioritizing readability ensures that visitors can easily comprehend the information provided and encourages them to stay on your website longer.
16. Build Credibility and Trust
Building credibility and trust is paramount for any law firm. Incorporate trust indicators such as client testimonials, case results, industry awards, or affiliations with reputable legal organizations.
Showcasing client testimonials throughout your website can greatly enhance trust. Additionally, feature trust symbols like industry certifications or endorsements, further bolstering your law firm’s credibility.
By highlighting your expertise and establishing trust, you create a lasting impression that motivates potential clients to choose your law firm over the competition.
In conclusion, effective law firm website design goes beyond aesthetics. By implementing these tips and drawing inspiration from the provided examples, you can create a website that makes a lasting impression, engages visitors, and ultimately convert potential clients into loyal advocates for your law firm.
Frequently Asked Questions
We get that designing and developing can be a very big deal for law firms. We always start with the strategy and your law firm’s key objectives! Here are some of the most asked questions!
How Long Does it Take to Build a Website?
Typically a law firm website design and development will take Fast Firms in the vicinity of 6 – 8 weeks depending upon complexity.
What Technology Do Fast Firms Use?
At Fast Firms, we base the technology we use upon the objectives of our clients. For the most part, we’ll use WordPress, but for specific projects that have certain idiosyncrasies, we will consider Headless CMS or Laravel technology.
Do You Just Use WordPress Themes?
Most law firm web design agencies will use a cheap template and clone it continuously for their clients, making a few differences. At Fast Firms, we build design pixel by pixel and then code using the highest standards of PHP., ensuring that our work meets the international best-practice “PHY Coding Standards.”
Do You Build Big Websites?
At Fast Firms, we have experience in the design and development of websites for law firms of all sizes, ranging from 1 to 5 lawyers through to practices with upwards of 50 lawyers.
Do You Work Internationally?
Yes, we do. At Fast Firms, we have worked with clients internationally, in particular the United States and Asia-Pacific.
Do You Build Websites that Play with Other Technology?
We sure do. One of our biggest gripes in working with third-party technology, particularly practice management software is the likelihood that they do not avail an open API. At Fast Firms, we will work with your law firm to ensure that from our end, your firm has all it requires to bridge a range of software connections.
What about CRM Technology?
At Fast Firms, we have very strong expertise in the design, development and integration of CRM software into your law firm’s website. We have worked with numerous platforms, most notably, Hubspot, Sharpspring, Active Campaign and most recently, Microsoft Dynamics.
Can You Migrate all the Content from Our Existing Website?
Yes, we can. For the most part, we’re able to migrate content easily. However, if your firm is using Squarespace or similar technology, it may be the case that a manual migration will be necessary.